Welcome to SUN!

Have you completed a new member application form?

This form is crucial to getting you set up as a SUN member and to granting you access to the privileges and information you are entitled to.

TIP: Take a picture of your completed form and send it to SUN provincial at database@sun-nurses.sk.ca, and we will get you all set up as a new member ASAP!

If you haven’t received the application form to complete, contact SUN Provincial, and we will help you out.

Have you ordered your SUN hoodie yet?

As a new member, we have a gift for you! A free SUN hoodie! Simply complete the online order form included in your Welcome Package, and we will send your gift to you free of charge. (NOTE: There is only one free hoodie per member; replacement hoodies are available for purchase.)

Have you signed up for SUN Link yet?

Once SUN Provincial receives your completed member application form, you will have access to SUN Link – this is the member portal to update and track your contact information, employment details, and more! Learn more

Stock up on your SUN merch!

Visit our SUN Shop today to purchase your SUN-branded merchandise from drinkware to clothing.

The price you see is the price we pay – zero markup on all items posted.

WHO IS SUN?

The short answer – we are YOUR union – and we have a strong and proud history advocating for our members and the patients/clients and communities they serve.

Our primary function is to protect the rights and safety of registered nurses in their workplace and ensure they have healthy practice environments.

Our advocacy efforts go beyond working with your Employer, extending into government relations, public awareness, media relations and education.

Learn more about SUN as an organization.

Learn more about your elected representatives on the Board of Directors

REGULATORY BODY vs UNION ROLES

The primary purpose of profession-led regulation (CRNS/CRPNS) is to protect the public from harm by ensuring that its registrants are competent and act in the public interest when providing the services society has entrusted to them. The role of the regulating body is to ensure that all individuals seeking entry into and maintenance on the register are qualified, competent and ethical professionals.

The role of your union is to protect you, your fellow SUN members and our profession.

It is the member’s responsibility to maintain their license and ensure they meet the continuing competency requirements of their regulatory body.

UNION CONTACTS: Who do I contact and when?

As a member of SUN, you have access to three levels of representatives able to assist you.

1. Local Leadership: Your Local Executive is your first point of contact with questions about your workplace, the Employer, local processes or workplace issues. You can find your Local Executive on the SUN Link App.
2. Board of Directors: Your elected representative strives to keep a finger on the pulse of the membership, and they want to hear from you! Learn more about your Board of Directors.
3. SUN Provincial: Our Labour Relations and Nursing Practice Teams are on standby to answer your questions or provide the advice and guidance needed to resolve a workplace issue.
   • Need assistance? Contact SUN Provincial and ask to speak to someone on “Duty Roster”.
     

GOVERNANCE OF SUN

SUN has three (3) categories of governing documents:

1. Constitution – a body of fundamental principles or established precedents that constitutes the legal basis of our organization. 
2. Bylaws – regulations overseeing the Union’s internal affairs.
3. Policies – a set of rules/guidelines adopted to make consistent decisions, direct actions, and outline the “what” and “why” for various situations.

SUN’s Constitution determines how we are to be governed and grants the Board of Directors permission to act as our governors. Article 5 of the Constitution provides the Board of Directors with the authority to administer the affairs and activities of the Union and, therefore, entrusts the Board to make decisions on behalf of the membership, between Annual Meetings.

SUN’s governing documents cannot be amended without the permission of the membership. These changes are administered through the resolutions process and voted on during the Annual Meeting held in April/May. Learn more about submitting resolutions.

Union Dues

As a SUN member, you will pay provincial union dues and local union dues. At both levels, union dues are essential for providing members with the support they need in their workplace(s) and profession.

Dues will be deducted from your pay cheque in the same way as deductions are made for income tax, pension contributions, and EI premiums, and are sent to your local and SUN Provincial by your Employer. Union dues are tax-deductible.

PROVINCIAL DUES

SUN Provincial dues are set by the membership and have remained the same for 25+ years.  Currently, provincial union dues are 1.8% of your regular salary, as set out in Membership Policy 19-M-2007.

Provincial union dues support day-to-day operations of the union, union education opportunities, legal assistance for regulatory issues, collective bargaining, professional practice and labour relations support, and more!

LOCAL DUES

The minimum Local dues rate is $20.00 per member per month, but your Local may set a higher rate. The minimum amount is discussed and voted on by the membership at the Annual Meeting, and the agreed-upon amount is then set out in provincial Bylaw 10.02.

Local union dues support the work of the local executive, including member support in the workplace, member communications, engagement initiatives, education opportunities, and more!

In addition to paying provincial dues, members will pay dues to each local they belong to. Your monthly local dues are discussed and voted on by the local members during a membership meeting and then set out in Local Bylaw 7.02.

The Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA)

Protecting Your Professional Practice

In 1982, SUN members fought and won the right to establish a Nursing Advisory Committee (NAC) to report and address concerns regarding patient safety and professional practice. Since then, the NAC process has become crucial in addressing patient safety and workload concerns with sustainable action.

Key to the Nursing Advisory process is the Work Situation Report (WSR), a SUN form created to document professional practice and/or workload concerns that impact registered nurses’ and Nurse Practitioners’ ability to fulfill their regulatory, professional, and organizational obligations.

But crucial to this process is YOU, as a registered nurse, you have an obligation to document and report issues where patient safety is at risk. The WSR is designed to help you do that – in under 5 mins!!

To learn more about the Nursing Advisory Process, Work Situations Reports (WSRs) and the Joint Nursing Advisory Committee (NAC), visit our website.

Looking for support within your local? Contact your Nurse Practice Officer or NAC Chair through the SUN Link app today.

Occupational Health & Safety (OHS)

The Nursing Advisory process is designed to address patient safety concerns. Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) is designed to protect YOU.

OHS addresses many types of workplace hazards, such as, but not limited to, violence in the workplace, physical hazards, biological agents, psychological fallout, and accidents.

OHS involves more than simply correcting unsafe actions and conditions; it is about prevention, not blame and is not personal.

The key to creating a safe workplace is that everyone in the workplace – both employees and employers – is responsible for their own safety and the safety of co-workers.

Visit the OHS section on our website to learn more about your rights, what every member needs to know and training opportunities.

The SUN Link app

The SUN Link app makes it easy to stay up to date with your union.
Tasks that used to be tedious can now be handled in just a few clicks.

Here are a few things you can do on SUN Link from your computer or your phone:

• Submit a workplace or collective agreement question (Labour Relations Inquiry)
• Review and update your member information
• Review and update your jobs on record
• Contact Local, Provincial and Network representatives
• Submit a Work Situation Report – Learn More about WSRs

Social Media & Public Advocacy Tips

When we are emotionally charged and frustrated by a situation, we sometimes just want to vent. Before you post online, do a quick check-in with yourself.

• If you would not say it at work, do not post it online.
• If it involves a patient, coworker, or workplace issue, keep it off social media.
• Private groups and direct messages are not truly private.
• Your role as a registered nurse does not end when you log off.
• There are safe and protected ways through SUN and CRNS to raise concerns. Social media is not one of them.
• Posts can be saved, shared, and revisited years later.
• When unsure, pause and choose not to post.

Looking for a safe way to share your experiences?

SUN’s “Your Voice” campaign is a safe, completely anonymous way for SUN members to help the public understand the pressures they face every day in delivering safe patient care. YOUR VOICE drives change.

Share your front-line experiences with us by emailing YourVoice@sun-nurses.sk.ca
Experiences to be shared on SUN social media, media interviews and on our website.